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Niles Samson
Doctor Niles Samson was the lead geneticist and Director of the New Hope Research Facility, under the Department of Health of the Coalition of Ordered Governments during the Monroe Administration. The facility was initially built to study the effects of Rustlung on the children of Imulsion miners and to find a cure. However, when Niles began using cross-species genetics in order to cure Lambency, the researchers began to notice mutations as his work eventually warped into an attempt to evolve humanity, creating the Sires under his supervision at New Hope. Eventually, the extent of the unethical experimentation at New Hope reached the COG, so Chairman Monroe ordered the facility shut down and all involved indicted. A political fringe group within the Coalition, however, believed in Niles' work and transferred him, his staff, and his subjects to a secret laboratory under Mount Kadar. There, using the Sires and genetic material of a child subject who was immune to Imulsion, Myrrah, Niles created the first members of the Locust Horde. When Myrrah's daughter, Reyna, was smuggled out of the Mount Kadar Laboratory by her father as an infant, Niles told Myrrah that they died in the escape attempt. Myrrah reacted by commanding the Locust to revolt and escape with her into the catacombs of Mount Kadar; a mortally wounded Niles activated a cryogenic purge of the facility to ensure none of the researchers or guards escaped to reveal what had happened. Although Niles died, he had made copies of his consciousness in the form of artificially-intelligent constructs that remained online for decades. The last known construct was destroyed in 42 A.E. by the Matriarch. Biography Early Life Niles Samson was born either before or during the early Pendulum Era, as the world fell into conflict for control over Imulsion, known as the Pendulum Wars. Niles Samson studied biology, genetics, medicine, and pathology - eventually becoming a doctor in research. Pendulum Wars Early Career During the Pendulum Wars, Doctor Niles Samson became a renowned scientist in Tyrus under the Coalition of Ordered Governments. He later maintained a high position under the Coalition's Department of Health. Azura Research Facility Recognized for his accomplishments by the Coalition, he was invited to Azura, a secret city island designed as a bunker and research facility for the greatest minds of the Coalition. The mission was to rebuild the world, should Sera fall into global annihilation. Niles Samson was a resident and researcher on Azura, and his voice was used as inspiring public announcements to encourage the work of other scientists at Azura. New Hope Research Facility At some point following the creation of the Lightmass Process, the miners of Imulsion and their families began to exhibit symptoms of a new fatal disease called Rustlung, caused by the overexposure of Imulsion vapors and fumes. Due to the Coalition of Ordered Governments gaining economic and political power due to owning a majority of Imulsion reserves - Chairman Monroe ordered the construction of the New Hope Research Facility in order to house away the children of Imulsion miners sick with Rustlung, study their progression, and attempt to find a cure in order to prevent repercussions of releasing a toxic fuel source to the public. Due to his work for the Department of Health, Chairman Monroe appointed Doctor Niles Samsons as Director of the New Hope program and steer the research to find a cure for Rustlung. During his research, Niles noted the progression of Rustlung and discovered that while most cells experience stress and degradation when exposed to Imulsion, others cells underwent point mutations. Niles then began to purposefully inject the children with doses of concentrated Imulsion to study their mutations and effects - hoping that he could somehow evolve the children into a superior being. While most of the children continued to perish or suffer from the effects of Imulsion, one female child named Myrrah did not show any ill effects. According to Samson's partner, geneticist Dr. Torres, she actually benefited from Imulsion exposure. Not only was she genetically immune to Imulsion, but her T-cells were at an astounding rate, and she appeared to be aging at 50% of a normal human child. Niles Samson then focused his work on Myrrah by isolating her in a furnished room fit for a child, but under constant surveillance. Myrrah seemed to understand her importance in the research and wanted to help her "friends." Niles attempted to replicate Myrrah's condition in the other children, but failed - seeing as Myrrah was a medical anomaly. However, Niles believed that with Imulsion, DNA could be manipulated into evolution. Niles then used the DNA of indigenous creatures of the Hollow, believing their held genetic immunity to Imulsion, and mutated the children with it. The children then transformed into aggressive, grotesque, genetically unstable, distempered, and sterile creatures Niles then called the Sires - seeing them to be the forefathers of an advanced and evolved race. However, due to the unethical experimentation and the attacks on staff by the Sires, many employees resigned and leaked information to the government and press about Niles Samson's work. Niles personally terminated Private Sid Redburn, a guard stationed at New Hope, after intercepting a letter in the mail room detailing the work at New Hope to family friend Colonel Tolman. Despite Niles' best efforts, the information leaks soon caught up with the Coalition and discovered the unethical experimentation, imprisonment, and torture of children and the many attempts Niles made to cover it. Chairman Monroe ordered the facility shut down and all involved, including Niles Samson, were indicted. Fringe Coalition Party Shortly before the shut down of New Hope and his appearance at the House of Sovereigns to stand trial, a fringe element within the Coalition personally reached out to Niles. The party revealed that they have the best interest of the Coalition's in mind, but are pragmatic in their efforts - criticizing Chairman Monroe for his "moralist" ways interfering with true progress. They not only believed that Niles' work could end Rustlung, but also create a genetically superior race of people to help end the Pendulum Wars against the UIR. Niles agreed to the invitation, and the fringe used Nethercutt Mining to build a secret facility at the base of Mount Kadar. There, Niles could transfer his remaining loyal scientists and all his subjects and work without ethical restriction. However, Niles knew he could not request vehicles for the transfer as Chairman Monroe would be made aware of their plans, so Niles prepared to move his entire team on foot during the night, in the snow, of Kadar Valley. Before he left, Niles Samson kept several dozen Sires in stasis in New Hope as a control group, and built a semi-sentient security system based off of his personality to watch over the facility. Mount Kadar Laboratory At Mount Kadar Laboratory, Niles took his work with the Sires to the next stage, seeking to create an iteration that could naturally reproduce. His most valuable subject proved to be Myrrah, who also became a colleague in their research. As she matured, Niles attempted to create hybrids using Myrrah's embryonic stem-cells and Sire DNA. After many failed attempts, he was finally successful in creating a hybrid known as the Matriarch, the first female Drone of the Locust Horde and later reproduced the males of the Locust Horde. The Locust were genetically stable, healthy, and able to reproduce. It was later learned that the Locust were also controllable. Because Myrrah's stem-cells were used in their creation, a psychomagnetic link between Myrrah and all members of the Locust Horde was established, known as the Hivemind. Without a queen's guidance, the Locust remained unable to learn and grow, to exist without direction. Myrrah was able to communicate with them, and through the Matriarch, her powers were even more amplified to where she could control the Locust. Dr. Torres and Niles then built a device that would not only hold and subdue the Matriarch, but also strengthen the connection to Myrrah by beaming into her temporal lobe. As Myrrah got older, Niles noticed a romantic relationship occur between her and Dr. Torres. While Niles personally saw it as inappropriate, he allowed it because he hoped their sexual relations would result in a child for hereditary studies. Myrrah and Torres did, in fact, manage to conceive a human female named Reyna. Niles discovered that Reyna had not only inherited her mother's immune system and decelerated aging, but also her connection to the Locust Hivemind. Fearing his daughter being used for experiments, Dr. Torres then fled the facility with Reyna. Niles was unable to prevent the escape and returned to Myrrah lying that Reyna had died during the escape attempt. Instead of settling the matter, this enraged Myrrah. She became more withdrawn and bleak, showing resentment towards Niles and the other scientists - humans in general, as her sympathy to her "children" grew. The Locust then began to exhibit mindfulness and orders commanded by Myrrah. At some point, Niles expressed doubt of his work at Mount Kadar and questioned whether he and his colleagues deserved to be punished for what happened there, fearing for his life for the first time. Niles then attempted to prevent Myrrah from her connection with the Matriarch, but it was too late for Myrrah finally realized her power. Physical Death Myrrah took control of the Locust and led a revolt against the researchers and guards, slaughtering any who got in her way. Niles then sustained a fatal injury. Before dying, Niles downloaded his consciousness to a robot with artificial intelligence. In his last moments, Niles released the laboratory's cryogenic purge protocols, which flooded the entire lab with cryogenic gas in an attempt from the surviving scientists and guards escaping and killing the Locust. Niles eventually died, but held no grudge towards Myrrah and the Locust, but instead wished form them to inherit the world. Myrrah and enough of her Locust survived and escaped the facility. She led the Locust deeper into the Mount Kadar catacombs, where they later established a civilization: Nexus. Locust War Operation: Hollow Storm Before leaving New Hope, Niles programmed a semi-sentient AI system to guard the facility as well as the Sires left in stasis. In a recording, Niles admits that he was almost embarrassed by programming himself into the Security system, but the attributes of Niles personality are present.‎ Marcus Fenix would later state that the AI was actually Niles himself preserved as an AI construct. After Del and Kait met the Niles AI at the Mount Kadar Laboratory, he called this Niles "my vastly inferior construct." The effectiveness of the security system was questionable, but for most of Delta Squad's trek through New Hope, this Niles served as a nuisance, namely making it difficult for them to traverse the facility by pointing out they lacked proper clearance, quoting the real Niles, and raising the security turrets as Delta neared them. When the Sires were released, Marcus realized Niles needed to be shut down because it started threatening them for attacking the Sires. When Marcus and Dom found the control room for Niles and turned off the power, Niles's final message before shutting down was a question about whether anyone would listen to the truth when it came out. Swarm War Mission to New Hope Facility In 42 A.E., Cpl. Kait Diaz and Lt. Delmont Walker returned to New Hope in hopes of finding answers about Cpl. Kait Diaz's connection to the Locust Horde. Sgt. Marcus Fenix directed the two to find and reactivate Niles Samson. After finding the mainframe, Cpl. Diaz turned New Hope's AI back on. Coming back online, Niles continued his statement from before when he was shut down and asked if they were listening. Lt. Walker had JACK access the AI, to Niles' amusement, but discovered most of the files were corrupted. However, several had references to "Kadar" which was a name Sgt. Fenix recognized and promised to have Damon Baird look over the files. Moments later, a Swarm Flock burst in and attacked the mainframe. Niles Samson asked if the "final cleansing" had begun and if he could terminate, which Cpl. Diaz objected to as Lt. Walker dragged her away. Activating a chemical purge of the facility, the Niles Samson AI of the New Hope Research Facility was destroyed by the Swarm Flock. However, Cpl. Diaz and Lt. Walker managed to escape.Gears 5: Forest for the Trees The files recovered from the AI led them to the Mount Kadar Laboratory. Mission to Mount Kadar Laboratory Following Niles' death at Mount Kadar, the facility was tended by a robot that contained a considerably more sophisticated AI construct of Niles than the one at New Hope. This construct managed to retain its sanity for decades as it tended the lab's many specimen stasis pods. Kait and Del also encountered this construct when they entered Mount Kadar Laboratory in 42 A.E. While the robot initially seemed helpful as it guided them to the Matriarch's stasis pod, it remained as dedicated as the original Niles to the lab's research. When Kait threatened to delete the research unless he helped her sever her connection to the Swarm Hive Mind, he seemingly obliged. To sever the connection, he connected her to the Matriarch. While the procedure did sever Kait from the Swarm Hive Mind, Niles had also deceived Kait into awakening both the Matriarch and the new queen of the Swarm. Del realized that Niles had betrayed them, and broke Kait free from the Matriarch's connection. The Niles robot tried to get away before they could catch them. It attempted to kill them at first by reactivating the Cryogenic Protocol, but they stopped that by using Niles' human body to cancel the protocol. The robot then started freeing test subjects that had not been frozen to death in the first cryogenic deep freeze to kill them or at least buy the robot enough time to get further away which did not work. Death During Niles' attempt to get away, it sustained damage and began to leak a trail that Kait and Del followed. They eventually caught up to it in a cavern where it declared that "what's done cannot be undone. This planet is now theirs." Before the Niles robot could attempt anything, the Matriarch burst into the cavern and ripped the robot in half, destroying it. Due both of his remaining artificial intelligence constructs being destroyed, Niles Samson completely died nearly a century after his first, physical death. Niles Samson Constructs New Hope Security Sytem Mount Kadar Laboratory Bot Personality While the real Niles Samson has not been introduced, Niles programming his personality into the New Hope Security system left behind observable characteristics. The Niles system is defined by obsession, especially cleanliness and security, which led Dom and Marcus to believe Niles is a nut.Gears of War 2: Act 3: Gathering Storm: Origins Part of that conclusion comes from its standards and enforcement were questionable because of how bad the New Hope Research Facility had fallen apart over the years after it was abandoned, which contradicted its standards of cleanliness. The Niles System also adheres to protocol, leading it to not appreciate Delta Squad's intrusion into New Hope because of their lack of clearance; however, despite their lack of clearance to the facility, it talked to them throughout their venture through New Hope, mostly boasting or describing its personal philosophy, often in the form of rhetorical questions. The real Niles holds most of the qualities of his security system as demonstrated in the recording he left at New Hope and some of the collectibles, although the extent is unknown. In addition, he showed signs of caring for his subjects, and left them under the watch of a security system that held attributes of himself. One obsession that is clearly defined in Niles is the desire to save the future from a culture without hope as often he and the system refer to their work as leading to a better future.Gears of War 2 Collectible: Interoffice Memo The method Niles believes to reach this future is through empirical science because he holds it as what separates society from savagery. However, even after several of New Hope's scientists decided to leave because of their experiments' brutal tendencies Niles stayed behind despite their attacks to other members of the staff. He would even at times justify the "children's" violent and sadistic actions because they were humanity's future in his eyes. Also key to Niles is his ideals of holding to standards, which was mentioned repeatedly by Niles's System and shown to be one of its primary concerns aside from security. Niles though shows a humble side because the security system modeled after him reveals that "we aim to please here at New Hope," and shows that he does not only wish to strive for perfection in his own eyes. In addition, the system holds records of remorse regarding the trip to Mount Kadar and asks to himself whether he should be punished for his actions. The New Hope AI appeared to have something of a sense of humor. As it was about to be destroyed by a Swarm Flock and triggered a chemical purge of the facility, the AI quipped "as someone once said to me, nighty night" which is what Marcus Fenix had said when shutting it down. Quotes Note: These quotes are from Niles's AI counterpart. Documents by Niles Samson 'Interoffice Memo' To: All New Hope employees From: Director Niles Samson RE: Ways to Deal with Prying Questions As many of you know, we recently experienced an internal information leak, and this had led some media outlets to make inquiries of the Department of Health. Should you ever be approached with questions by anyone from the media or from someone who is not an employee of New Hope, I trust that you will all refrain from disclosing any information about the facility or its patients. Please do keep this is mind moving forward, and continue with the great work that you all are doing. You are making the future a better place. Best, Niles 'New Hope Medical File' Patient Name: Ruth Age: 15 Symptoms: Ruth is clearly experiencing extreme swelling in her joints and frequently cries out in pain during the night. She also exhibits rather erratic and unpredictable behavior, though this is quite understandable considering her situation and symptoms. There is a strange discoloration in her eyes, and her breathing often sounds labored. Her nails grow at a faster rate than normal, though her hair grows at a markedly reduced rate. I'll keep trying to find some type of medication to alleviate her pain without adversely affecting our studies. Dr. Niles Samson 'Patient Analysis: AX-331-2' Prior to loss of speech, the subject complained frequently about joint and lung pain, as well as agonizing headaches. Subject's exposure to Imulsion was severe even before testing began. Once Rustlung had metastasized throughout the Subject's body, death came quickly. Imulsion's effects lead to intense and immediate cell stress. But other cells undergo point mutations that could be considered beneficial. Studies will continue. Dr. Niles Samson 'Patient Analysis: EV-184-9' EV-184-9 has been exposed to Imulsion levels hitherto known - without exception - to be fatal. Yet she displays no detectable cellular degradation at all. Quite the opposite, if anything. We have decided to isolate and observe EV-184-9 closely, twenty-six hours a day, while continuing to administer a daily dose of concentrated Imulsion. We tell her it's her medicine and she smiles while she takes it. She is quite eager to be helpful. Dr. Niles Samson 'Patient Analysis: RK-619-4' RK-619-4's final transformation occurred roughly eighteen hours before death. Quite disappointing, as the subject's cells had initially benefited from Imulsion exposure nearly as much as Subject EV-184-9's. It is time to face a hard truth. EV-184-9's response to Imulsion exposure may be entirely anomalous. And Dr. Torres has just informed me that EV-184-9's T cells appear to be particularly responsive. He believes her body is now aging at a pace roughly half that of a normal girl. Dr. Niles Samson 'Subject Analysis: UL-119-2' UL-119-2 remains our most physically dominant and remarkable specimen, surviving longer than any hybrid developed with embryonic stem cells. I remain baffled as to why this is so. The bond she seemed to have developed with EV-184-9 continues to intrigue me. All at once, this mighty, matriarchal beast can be calmed into quiescence by no more than a glance! Dr. Torres has developed a containment module for UL-119-2. He believes that by suspending her in cryptochromic fluid, the pyschomagnetic bond she and EV-194-9 appear to share could be amplified. I am skeptical but willing to entertain his flight of theoretical fancy. Dr. Niles Samson 'Subject Analysis: TE-872-3' I tolerated Dr. Torres' unseemly designs upon EV-184-9 mainly due to my hope that their dalliance could produce a child. And now it has: TE-872-3. Let me dispense with these chilly medical appellations, as Myrrah has proved my colleague and collaborator in every sense. Her selfless cooperation has brought me much joy, but not nearly as much as this: Myrrah's daughter has inherited her unique genomic constellation. What this means I do not yet know, but it proves that what I have created here is, astonishingly, inheritable. All throughout our facility dote upon Reyna already. Only Dr. Torres seems ambivalent. I suspect he is jealous of the attention his special child is receiving. Dr. Niles Samson 'Subject Analysis: EV-184-9' Myrrah's mood remains bleak. I confess I underestimated the depth of her feelings for her daughter. I have had to curtail her exposure to the Matriarch as well, for I and others have noticed that, the more frequent their interaction, the more it affects the behavior of our test subjects. They have become... not docile, not exactly, but somehow... mindful, perhaps. Sometimes they seem to murmur in unison or simultaneously face the same direction. Dr. Van Neil remarked that it almost looked as if they were praying. I worry Myrrah's influence has allowed our test subjects to develop novel and unhelpful ideas. For the first time since I began this work, all those years ago, I am concerned for our safety. Dr. Niles Samson Behind the Scenes *Niles is voiced by Robin Atkin Downes. *The body of the main terminal of the Niles AI is the reused model of the Sonic Resonator from Gears of War. *Niles' face is partially shown throughout the complex via screens. However, despite the displays being worn, cracked, and covered by static, Niles appears with a long face with glasses. As the player progresses through New Hope, the face on the screens becomes more blurry and hectic. It isn't until Gears 5 that Niles actually appears as his frozen corpse. *As Myrrah spoke for the Locust in the multiplayer from Gears of War to Gears of War 3, Niles spoke for the Swarm in Gears 5's multiplayer. *While it is scripted and canon that Niles Samson's robot gets destroyed by the Matriarch, the player can actually shoot and destroy the Niles Bot - which then triggers the Matriarch entering the scene without destroying it. Appearances *''The Slab'' *''Gears of War 2'' *''Gears 5'' References Category:Characters Category:Civilians Category:COG Category:Collectibles Category:Doctors Category:Males Category:Scientist